Decision to Leave

Published on April 10, 2026

Harvard Film Archive
24 Quincy St.
Cambridge
Fri., Apr. 10, 2026, 7 – 9:20 p.m.

Close-up of young Korean woman looking concernedly at a man who is out of focus

Decision to Leave refuses to romanticize the Korean Chinese heroine Seo-rae as a figure in need of protection or salvation by Korean detective Jang Hae-jun. Even more subversively, the film achieves this twist through a calculated dehumanization. The search for Seo-rae’s “true” personality, hidden behind her persona as an elder-care worker, is mediated almost entirely through machines—Siri, smartwatch, recorded voice notes and translation apps—rather than direct human interaction. Both the detective’s and this film genre’s reliance on investigative apparatus to dissect a subject fails, leading not to a singular answer, but a total defiance and dismantling of the gendered, othering gaze.

Gazette Classification: Film
Organization/Sponsor: Harvard Film Archive
Cost: $10 - Regular Admission / $8 - Non-Harvard Students, Harvard staff and Senior Citizens. Harvard students free.
Ticket Web Link: harvardfilmarchive.org…
Contact Info: [email protected]
More info: harvardfilmarchive.org…

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